Those Eyes
by CrazyFool65
Summary: They were trapped slowly turning to wax. She should be panicking but she couldn't help herself from getting lost in his eyes.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece

Based off of one of my favorite Zoro scenes

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**Those Eyes**

Things were not looking good for them. Vivi, the blue haired princess, looked at her captors trying to think of a way to escape. As the seconds passed by she was beginning to feel more and more helpless. The Baroque Works field agents were smiling smugly at them. She looked at Mr. 3, the reason they were trapped at the moment, with worry. If she and her friends cannot think of a way to escape then they will meet their end from the wax artist. She looked over to the giant who was pinned to the ground with wax shackles on his wrists and legs. She saw the look in the giants face and it broke her heart. The giant looked completely broken, as if he lost the will to live. She turned her attention to her orange haired friend who was panicking. Vivi was sure she had a similar look on her own face. She looked at her final companion who was standing right next to her on her left, the green haired swordsman, Roronoa Zoro.

The swordsman was different. He had his usual indifferent expression placed on his face. His arms were crossed and he looked at his sides. He soon turned his attention to their captors and raised an eyebrow as if thinking about some hidden plan that rested in his mind. She turned her attention back to the field agents that were talking about their great success. She heard the swordsman by her side sigh before speaking in his monotone voice.

"Oi, Ossan." Seeing as this was the first time he has spoken since being trapped this caught the attention of everyone. Broggy, the giant he was addressing, moved his head to look at Zoro. "You can still move, right? So can I." he continued as he began to unsheathe his sword. His expressionless face soon grew a large grin, "Feel like killing these guys with me?" This statement earned a surprised gasp from Nami and Vivi, who were both shocked by the way he spoke, as if it were a simple task. Even the Baroque Works officers were taken aback.

"Zoro what are you-?" Nami began to ask as the two girls watched him unsheathe his second sword. An idea came to Nami and she looked at the swordsman in disbelief, "You're not going to-!" Zoro seemed to realize what she was thinking.

"Yeah" he answered as if it were no big deal.

"Cutting off your own legs? Stop joking around!" she practically screamed.

"It's no joke. It's the only way we'll get out of here. What's your decision?" he asked like it was the obvious choice. Vivi was stunned unable to think clearly.

"Our decision? It's hopeless! Even if we manage to get down, they catch us again!" the princess shouted. How could he think of cutting off his legs? How would that be able to help in this situation? He just looked at her with his normal stern face.

"How do you know if you don't try?" he asked. Everyone was just watching him as he was explaining his insane idea. "We're gonna die here anyway. Why not make it ugly and struggle a little? There ain't a single reason why we should die so easily against these scum! Right?" he said as he was staring at the Baroque agents with a grin spreading on his face. Vivi could only watch and listen. She didn't know how to respond. She thought he was right that they should put up a fight, but cutting off your own legs? Was that really the best way?

"What the hell is he talking about? Is he insane?" Mr. 5 asked

"Hmph, you're bluffing. There's no way you can bring yourself to do such a thing! It's simply an act!" Mr. 3 said not believing a word Zoro was saying. Suddenly the chuckling of the giant, Broggy, broke the silence.

"What a fearless kid. I thought I had lost…my reason to fight. With a spirit like that, how can I refuse?" he declared. After that there was a moment of silence.

"You're kidding right? Are you serious? How're you gonna fight with no legs?" she asked. His plan seemed so absurd. Vivi agreed with the orange haired navigator.

"I dunno. But…" he said as his eyes narrowed and his grin grew more confident, "I plan on winning."

Once again Vivi was speechless. Her thoughts ran wild. _How can a man like this exist?_ She looked into his eyes and found that she couldn't look away. _His eyes…what's with them? There's no doubt at all! Does he really plan on fighting with no legs? Does he really believe he can win like that? There's no doubt…no fear…he's right. I can't give up if I want to save my country._

"W-Wait. I'll fight too!" she said gaining a new confidence. Zoro turned to look at her. He raised an eyebrow studying her. After a while he spoke.

"Alright. Got it."

"Here we go kid!" Broggy declared starting to move. Zoro raised his swords, calm as ever. Both Nami and Vivi closed their eyes as he was bringing them down. Suddenly a yell caught their attention.

They looked to see Luffy, Usopp and Carue come crashing through. Luffy began to argue with Mr.3 about beating him up while Mr.3 was underestimating his strength.

"Luffy, before you fight him break this pillar! It's turning us to wax figurines!" Nami called out to him.

"Huh? What? You're in trouble?" Luffy asked as if just noticing his friends.

"Nah, no big deal." Zoro answered nonchalantly.

"Wait! Your legs!" Nami said looking at the swordsman's legs.

"Oh, I only got through about halfway." He said as blood began to spread into a large puddle around him.

"How is that no big deal?" Nami practically shouted. Vivi just looked at Zoro in both fear and admiration. _He was serious. I can't believe he really tried to cut off his own legs. I can't believe I was about to do the same thing. _

The three captured straw hats watched as their captain fought against Mr.3. Vivi looked to her side to observe the swordsman. She was still taken back by his speech and actions. He was just standing there like he wasn't in pain or anything. She just couldn't understand the swordsman sometimes. She knew he was strong, she witnessed that first hand when they first met. But here he was, just about to cut his legs just to avoid an easy death. She looked as the swordsman shifting around. She became confused when she saw him standing with his left hand on his hip and his right hand holding his sword straight in the air.

"Zoro, what are you doing?" Nami asked noticing Zoro, Vivi wondering the same thing. He looked at them both before answering.

"If I'm gonna be a statue…I wanna be in this pose." If Vivi wasn't trapped in wax she would have fallen anime style. That was not the answer she was expecting form this man.

"There's no time to mess around!" she shouted thinking he was insane.

"I'm not messing around." He said still in the same pose.

"Whatever, do something about your legs. It hurts just by looking at them." Nami said a little annoyed by what he was doing.

"Then don't look." He said if it were obvious.

"I told you it was stupid to try to cut your legs off to run away." She said ignoring his answer.

"I wasn't. I was cutting them off so I could fight." He said offended that she thought he was running away. Vivi just stared at the two of them. _How can they act so casual when we are so close to danger? They don't seem bothered in the least. _Her eyes met Zoro's again. There was still no fear. She couldn't understand how he could act like this as if it was normal. He simply amazed her. Her thoughts were interrupted by the giant that was trapped next to them.

"Hey kid, you done struggling?" he asked with a smile.

"Yea, it's time to let someone else struggle." He said with a grin. He turned to speak to the two girls who were trapped at both his sides. "Oi, if you wanna strike a pose you better do it now."

"Don't drag me into your stupid ideas." Nami said

"Mr. Bushido! Please take this seriously!" Viv pleaded. How can someone be joking around at a time like this? He turned to her and their eyes were locked.

"I'm always serious." He said keeping his pose. He turned his head so he was facing forward but Vivi was still looking at him. _How can he be so calm? Does he really have no fear?_ Her mind kept thinking about these things until everything became black. Before they knew it they were tuned into wax.

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After the battle at Little Garden the Straw Hats were now resting on their ship. Since they didn't have a doctor Vivi decided to help Zoro with his leg injuries. He was sitting in the informatory without a shirt since it was burnt off when they were freed. She wasn't an expert in medical knowledge but she knew the basics and she knew that Zoro needed stitches. During the whole time she was working on his treatment she couldn't stop herself for admiring the Straw Hat's first mate. She learned a lot about the crew during her short time traveling with them but she had to admit that Zoro interested her the most.

He was the silent one of the group who spoke with his actions instead of his words. When he did speak with words more often than not they were very powerful words of wisdom. It was clear to her why Luffy chose him as his first mate. The two of them complimented each other very well. Luffy was kind, trusting and never let anything get him down. Zoro was calm, serious and the most loyal crewmate anyone could ask for. Their personalities were so opposite that they both had what the other lacked. What she admired most though was his drive. He was probably the most determined person on the crew as well. He just didn't know the meaning of the words 'give up'.

As she was finishing up the stitches she noticed that they would definitely leave scars. This thought made her move to his chest where she saw a much longer scar. She heard the story from Usopp and it shocked her. Zoro fought against Mihawk the greatest swordsman alive and survived. Not only that but from the story she remembered Zoro's refusal to runaway and how he preferred death to defeat. She wished that she could have a fraction of his determination. Her thoughts were interrupted though. As she was staring at the scar she found herself staring at his chest. It was then that she noticed how muscular he really was.

"Oi, Vivi you okay?" The monotone voice made her realize she had just been staring at his chest for a while now. She blushed and looked away.

"Yea…sorry I zoned out." She said embarrassed that she was caught staring.

"Eh, it's fine." He said not really caring. There was a bit of an awkward silence until he spoke again. "Good job by the way." Confused she looked up at his face to see that he was staring at her. She blushed before speaking.

"What do you mean?"

"When we were trapped in that giant birthday cake, you did good." She was still confused. As far as she could remember all she did was yell at him. Now that she realized this she was a little embarrassed at the way she spoke to him.

"Exactly what did I do?" she was curious about what she did that earned the praise of a strong warrior like Zoro.

"You were serious." He said still looking at her a grin finding its way on his face.

"I'm sorry Mr. Bushido but I don't understand. What was it that I did?"

"When I said I was gonna cut off my legs and you said you were gonna fight too. You were serious. I could tell." She was shocked at his words.

"How did you know?" although she was serious about wanting to fight back she knew she had doubts about cutting off her leg's like he did.

"Your eyes." He replied simply

"My eyes?" she repeated.

"Yea I saw that look in your eyes. You were serious about wanting to fight back." He said grinning. He moved his hands behind his head to use as a pillow and closed his eyes while Vivi continued to look at the injuries that Zoro collected during their Little Garden adventure. Vivi was shocked. She remembered seeing the look of determination in the swordsman's eyes and now the same swordsman was saying he saw a similar look in her eyes. She finished the stitches and looked at the resting first mate. He looked so relaxed, like none of this had ever happen.

"Mr. Bushido?" she said trying to get his attention. He grunted and opened one eye looking at the blue-haired princess silently telling her to continue.

"Did you honestly think you were going to win? Even without your legs." she asked. She wanted to know how the swordsman thinks. How did his mind work?

"No I didn't think I would win…" he said in thought. The princess frowned at his answer.

"If you didn't think you could win then why did you do this?" she asked pointing to his ankles.

"Patience princess, it's rude to interrupt someone before they finish their answer." He teased causing Vivi to blush.

"Right…sorry." She mumbled causing Zoro to chuckle.

"Like I said I didn't think I was going to win…knew I would." He said with the same confidence that shocked her in the first place. "I don't know how but I would've found a way to win." The princess only stared at the swordsman their eyes locked on the others. She finally broke the silence.

"You amaze me sometimes Mr. Bushido" she said moving from the end of the bed by his feet, now standing by his side smiling.

"Oh really?" he said grinning watching as she now stood closer to him.

"Yes. I have never met someone like you who is so unafraid of death."

"There's a simple reason for that."

"Oh?"

"Yea, I think you should live your life the way you want to…with no regrets. And if I let those bastards kill me without putting up a fight…you better believe I would have regretted that."

"I see you're point." She said smiling at her friend. He smiled in response as their eyes met. They were now staring intently at each other in silence. It was not an awkward silence it was a comfortable silence between the two of them. Then, following her instincts alone she began to slowly lean down, closer to the swordsman's face. Zoro followed suit and leaned closer to the princess. Both their eyes slowly closed and their lips were almost touching…when the door was pushed open with a slam surprising both as they pulled away before getting caught. A blushing Vivi and pissed off Zoro turned to see who interrupted them.

"Vivi-chwan! It's time for dinner!" an excited Sanji said jumping into the room smoothly landing on his knee. He stood up and just looked at Zoro as he lit his cigarette. "Oi, get your lazy ass up to eat marimo." He said not caring in the least about the swordsman.

"Piss off ero-cook." He said standing up.

"What was that you shitty swordsman?" he yelled glaring.

"Did I freakin' stutter dartboard brow?" Zoro answered back placing a hand on the hilt of his sword. They were about to begin another one of their brawls but the princess interrupted.

"Thank you for telling us Sanji-san. We will be there right away." She said getting in between the two.

"Hai, my precious Vivi-chwan!" Sanji proclaimed before heading back to the kitchen.

"Damn cook always ruining everything." Zoro mumbled as Vivi walked by his side heading for the kitchen as well.

The Straw Hats were eating their meal like any normal day. Nami and Vivi would be engaging in some small talk but she would steal a few quick glances at Zoro who was trying to defend his food from the wandering hands of the gluttonous captain. Her mind kept replaying the moment the two of them had. She blushed when she thought about how close his lips were to hers. Sometimes when she was staring at Zoro he caught her and she quickly looked away blushing even more. She wondered what it would feel like to have his lips pressed against her own. Would it be a rough kiss like one would expect from him it would it be surprisingly gentle.

Dinner soon ended and the Straw Hats decided to go to bed for the night to get some well deserved rest. However Vivi couldn't rest, her mind was still thinking about Zoro. Realizing that she wouldn't be getting any sleep any time soon she left the room that she was sharing with Nami to get some fresh air. Once she left the cool breeze and night sky greeted her. She looked up and saw familiar green hair popping up from the crow's nest. It was Zoro's turn for watch duty. Following her instincts she made her way to the crow's nest.

Zoro was watching the sea enjoying the peace and quiet he could only get when it was his turn for watch duty. He was about to take a quick nap when he sensed someone's presence. He turned to look and was surprised to see Vivi stepping in the crow's nest with him.

"Vivi, what are you doing here?" he asked confused. He didn't really mind though seeing as Vivi was the only quiet member who didn't constantly annoy him.

"Hello Mr. Bushido. I'm not bothering am I?" she asked concerned. What she was planning was thinking a lot of courage as it is but if he was annoyed maybe she should try this another time.

"No you're fine it's just late, why are you still up?" he asked as Vivi came closer to sit right next to him.

"I decided to listen to your advice." She said looking right at him. Zoro was confused now. When did he give her advice?

"Advice? What did I say?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You told me to live life with no regrets." She reminded him. Zoro nodded at her remembering he told her something like that before they almost…kissed. _Damn ero-cook getting in the way._ He thought bitterly.

"How do you plan to do that?" he asked curious about what she was thinking. Vivi took a calming breath and closed her eyes. Catching Zoro completely off guard she leaned in and captured his lips with her own. Zoro's eyes widened as he was not expecting that. But he soon relaxed and kissed her back. When they finished they were breathing heavily. Vivi's face was a bright crimson as she stood up.

"Well I should be going now Mr. Bushido." She said about to take her leave but Zoro stood on his feet and grabbed her wrist. She looked back at him confused. Was he mad she just kissed out of the blue?

"Zoro." He simply said.

"What?"

"It's Zoro...not Mr. Bushido." He said smiling. Vivi smiled to when she understood what he was saying.

"Right…goodnight Zoro." She said but he didn't let go of her. She tilted her head to the side wondering what was on his mind.

"You don't think I'll let you off the hook that easily do you Vivi?" And before she could respond he pulled her closer. He put his hands around her waist and kissed her again. Vivi was surprised but soon placed her hands around his neck and kissed back. He licked her lips asking for permission which she granted. The two of them took the time to explore the other's mouth before they were forced to separate for air. Vivi was blushing very hard but smiling while Zoro was chuckling at her. Zoro sat back down looking at her.

"No regrets princess?" he asked teasingly. Vivi sat down next to him putting her head on his shoulder. He responded by moving his arm around her bringing her closer to him.

"Of course not." She responded looking at his eyes while he looked at hers. Once again she was amazed. Earlier today those eyes were full of such intensity but now were filled with such care towards her. They leaned in to each other one more time sharing a gentle kiss before Vivi fell asleep on his shoulder while Zoro continued his watch.

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**Thanks for reading please review**


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